Question 1

Are ghost guns and 80% lowers legal in District of Columbia?

Accepted Answer

No. Ghost guns are unregistrable, although a qualifying self-made firearm may be serialized before completion and registered through the District's ordinary firearm process. Effective 2023-03-10. Controlling law: D.C. Code § 7-2502.02(a)(8), (c).

Question 2

What law covers unfinished frames and unserialized firearms in District of Columbia?

Accepted Answer

The controlling law is D.C. Code § 7-2502.02(a)(8), (c). Ghost guns are unregistrable, although a qualifying self-made firearm may be serialized before completion and registered through the District's ordinary firearm process.

Question 3

When did District of Columbia's unfinished frame or unserialized firearm restriction take effect?

Accepted Answer

District of Columbia's rule took effect 2023-03-10. Every firearm in the District must be registered, and a firearm that remains a ghost gun cannot receive a certificate. Subsection (c) preserves a narrow personal-build route when the maker obtains and affixes a compliant serial number before finishing the frame or receiver and the completed configuration is otherwise registrable.

Question 4

Are 80% lowers and self-built firearms legal under federal law?

Accepted Answer

Federal law does not prohibit making a firearm for personal use, but prohibited-person, detectable-firearm, and unlicensed manufacturing-for-sale rules still apply. On August 17, 2026, Defense Distributed v. Blanche held 27 C.F.R. §§ 478.11 and 478.12(c) unconstitutional, but the judgment did not vacate those regulations and its declaratory and injunctive relief is party-scoped. Buyers outside the protected parties remain subject to the 2022 federal frame-or-receiver rule while litigation continues; state serialization, transfer, possession, and manufacturing laws apply independently.

Federal baseline verified 2026-08-18. Scope: Unfinished firearm frames and receivers, including products marketed as 80% lowers or pistol-frame blanks, plus firearms privately made without a serial number. Serialized stripped receivers transferred as firearms are outside this class's unfinished/unserialized restrictions.

Are Ghost Guns and 80% Lowers Legal in District of Columbia?

Litigation Status and Details

Federal baseline

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